Plus, if you give him 600 PA in 2017, he’s going to strikeout 190+ times. And, unless he has an OPS of 850 or better, everyone is going to harp on those strikeouts – because players who strike out THAT MUCH look bad.

Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler and Mark Payton are not that far away. And, you still have Rob Refsnyder and Tyler Austin.

Plus, Blake Rutherford might be coming fast. And, besides, everyone says the Yankees are going after Harper when he’s a free agent. (And, that would be a mistake, by the way.)

The value on Aaron Judge may never be higher at this point. Trade him for Jose Quintana, Danny Duffy or Sonny Gray.

At best, Judge is going to be Richie Sexson or Tony Clark. He’s not going to be Frank Thomas. Trade him now and take advantage of his prospect worth while he still has it.

At first, I thought, “This is stupid. Too much money and too many years.”

But, if the Yankees want to pay him $400,000 per game, that’s their business, I suppose. And, Chapman would be 33 in the 5th year of the contract – and that’s not terrible.

That said, here’s the real danger here: Aroldis is not a nice, or a smart, guy. Given someone like him that much money and putting him in New York is very, very, risky. This is not Mariano Rivera. This is not Andrew Miller. Sure…maybe I am wrong here. Mickey Rivers survived with the Yankees…for a while. Even if he doesn’t get in trouble, will Chapman continue to work hard now that he’s all the money? The jury is still out on that one too.

Anyway, here’s the bigger concern: The reported opt-out after three years. We saw what the Yankees did with A-Rod and Sabathia. Two huge mistakes at opt-out time. Who’s to say they would not repeat the same mistake with Chapman? Then, the issue of too much money and too many years is a real thing.

Given where the Yankees are today, it would not have broken my heart to let someone else sign Chapman – especially at those terms.

If Didi Gregorius plays 150+ games in 2017 and again has an OPS+ of less than 100 (as he’s done his whole career with respect to OPS+) then he will become only the 3rd Yankees player in franchise history to post 3 such seasons. And, the first one to do it in a half-century.

Reportedly, a lot of scouts who watched the AFL this year feel that, in the long-term, Gleyber Torres will end up as a second baseman.

This is interesting.

The Yankees already moved Jorge Mateo towards second. Maybe he could end up as an outfielder with his speed?

But, what about the Yankees future shortstop? They’ve already moved Tyler Wade into a utility type role. Kyle Holder, while 22, has yet to prove that he can even hit Double-A pitching.

And, what about Nick Solak? Granted, he’s also far, far, away. But, does this push him to third?

Of course, you still have Didi Gregorius for another three years. But, he’s yet to post a major league season with an OPS+ better than 97. And, the sabermetric stats tell us that he was not a great fielding SS last season. Don’t be shocked if he plays himself out of town next season or the one after.

I’ve been a fan of The Bill James Handbook since it started publishing in (June) 2003. Now, 15 editions later, we have The Bill James Handbook 2017 (which was released on November 1st.)

On the back cover of this year’s book, John Dewan shares “The Multi-Dimensional Beauty of Baseball.” This is what he wrote:

Some people are captivated by the pure physical beauty of ballparks—whether in the major or the minor leagues, on a college or high school campus, or just at a local park or playground. For example, when people see the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field—especially if it is in October when the leaves have already turned and baseball is still being played—they are transported to a magical place indeed. For others, the enjoyment of baseball is in watching one of the greatest games ever invented. There is nothing better than the drama of a close play at the plate, the grace of a fielder diving and catching a ball, or the excitement of a runner taking off to steal second base in a close game. For many of us, however, it’s the numbers of the game that provide our greatest enjoyment. Whether it is just keeping our own scorecard or understanding the nuances of On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) or Wins Above Replacement (WAR), baseball lends itself to statistical analysis perhaps better than any other human endeavor—or at least any other human endeavor that is so much fun!

If that last part resonates with you, then you must get your hands on a copy of The Bill James Handbook 2017.

Every year, this book gets better and better. And, that’s saying something since it was great when it first came out in 2003. Included in this year’s edition you can find:

Hits Gained and Lost to the Shift

Long Fly Out & Home Run Breakdowns

Pitcher Career Fastball Velocity Trends

Career Defensive Runs Saved

League Stats Breakdown by Position

Expanded Instant Replay Coverage

No-Hitter Summary

Home Run Robberies

Hitter Analysis

Career Baserunning – including total career baserunning numbers (2002-present) for players with 1000 or more games played

Pitcher Analysis – a brand new section for pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched with a table including: number of pitches thrown, batters faced, strikeouts, walks, fly balls, lines drives and more

Rotation vs. Bullpen team charts showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of each team’s pitching staff

Relief Pitcher Section

The Hall of Fame Monitor

The Fielding Bible Awards

Pitcher Projections

Hitter Projections

Baserunning Analysis

Manufactured Runs

Team Efficiency Summary

Player Win-Shares

Where else can you find some of this information? And, the book comes out on November 1st – as soon as the season ends! Amazing.

This is the book that should be on the desk of every member of a team’s Baseball Operations staff – from the President of Baseball Operations to the General Manager to the intern working spreadsheets. It should be next to the microphone of every major league broadcaster covering a game. Big league managers should have this book at their avail at all times.

The data in this book is the code of the baseball matrix.

If you’re a baseball fan who wants the truth, there’s a million reasons why you would want to have The Bill James Baseball Handbook 2017.

Stats. Analysis. Essays. Reports. Leader boards. Projections. It’s all there in this one. The Bill James Baseball Handbook 2017 is the best of it’s kind and nothing else is close.